My Patient, My Character

I'm writing another novel.  And it's good.  Like really good.  But enough about that.

One of my characters is based on a patient who I have kind of met.  Four months ago, when I was on SICU, I would cover the Burn ICU at night.  I spent many hours at her bedside, placing lines, adjust medications, drawing labs, changing dressings- but she was basically in a coma, so I met her but she never met me. Anyway, I've taken her and developed an entire imaginary life and personality and made her a character in my novel.

Now I am on Burn Surgery and she came to clinic today.  Let me tell you- it was AWKWARD.  I walked into the room and saw her name and immediately felt like I was meeting a celebrity or something.  She probably thinks I'm a total freak.  But I kind of wanted to get to know her and be her BFF, mostly because I'm curious if I got ANY of her life or personality right. 

The verdict?  She is much more stylish, funnier and nicer than my character.  I guess that's better than if she ended up being a jerk.  Anyway, now I feel like I need to make my character better, to live up to her.

Meeting one of my characters in clinic.... craziness.

Also- here are 2 AWESOME quote about writing I like:

"Although physicians are not deities, novelists are."

"The difference between fiction and reality is that fiction has to make sense."